SOCİOLOGY OF THE FAMİLY

Week 3 Methods and Theories for Studying Families

Methods in sociological study

Scientific sociological study Objectivity

Sociological research of the family Survey research Survey: Research instruments designed to

obtain information from individuals who belong to a larger group, organization, or society. Information gathered is used to describe, explain

and predict attitudes, behaviors, aspirations. Political polls, opinion surveys, Census

Population: The entire membership of a country, organization, group or category of people to be surveyed.

Sample: Some portion of the population chosen to represent the population.

Cross-sectional vs Longitudinal study

Longitudinal Repeated cross-sectional Panel Cohort

Sampling methods Random sample Stratified random sample Convenience sample

Sample size Response rate

Generalizability Confidence Validity Reliability

Types of data

Nominal (categorical) data Ordinal data Interval data Ratio data

Dependent and independent variables

Measures of central tendency Mean Mode Median

Outliers

Cause and effect relation Time order Correlation Nonspuriousness

Experiments Field experiments Participant observation Content analysis Secondary analysis Qualitative interviews

Theories for studying families

Theories provide us with a basic understanding of how to see the larger social picture in our personal lives.

Theories are sets of interrelated concepts used to describe, explain and predict how society and its parts are related to each other.

Cumming and Henry’s theory on aging.

Elderly people realize the inevitability of death and begin to systematically disengage from their previous youthfull roles, while at the same time the society disengages from them.

How did their theory test against research?

Macro theories Functional, conflict

Micro theories Symbolic interactionism, social exchange

Grand theory Deals with universal aspects of social

processes or problems and is based on abstract ideas and concepts rather than case specific evidence.

Middle-range theory Derived from specific scientific findings and

focuses on the interrelation of two or more concepts applied to a specific social process or problem.